Of Death and Love
by Gina Ayn
Summary: Cassandra has always been alone. That's the way she liked it, ever since she left the safety of the place she once called home. She knew that mingling with others will just cause her pain. So now she kept asking the same thing, why did she let him in?
1. Nico

**Nico. Isn't he sooooo adorable? Or maybe that's just my weird side taking over me again.**

**Anyways, I'll do this only once for the whole story, because I knwo you guys don't even read this notes anyway.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Percy Jackson. I only own Cassandra.**

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**Nico**

If he was to make a list of the most unusual things that ever happened to him, this would be at the top.

Yes, despite all the things that ever happened to him, this would still be the number one of the weirdest moments of his seventeen years of life. And yet it was just startlingly simple. He was just standing there, staring at a sword pointed towards his chest. His sword, with all its Stygian iron glory, was lying a few feet away. It was typical in the life of a demigod, especially to one who was training in Camp Half-Blood.

But here's the catch. He wasn't in camp, and the person who was holding the weapon wasn't a friend.

"Who are you?" She asked once again. She was around his age. Her eyes, despite its cool violet color, were so fierce he could see the fire in it. He knew that just one wrong move, one wrong answer, may mean the end of his life. Hades, he saw her fight four monsters by herself, and he sure didn't want to be like them.

How he got there, he asked himself again. They were in a clearing in a forest, with the sun near gone from the sky, and the stars coming out. The sword was distracting him, so much that he couldn't even remember why he was there.

"Uhmmm…I was tracking down those monsters," he said, more to himself, as he finally remembered. She raised an eyebrow, making an expression which made him think of Annabeth and Piper. Okay, he admitted to himself, it wasn't the sword that was bothering him. It was her. With her dark wavy hair and fair skin, he thought that if Snow White was alive, it would be her. She was more beautiful than the daughter of Athena and the child of Aphrodite. And he must not say that to either Percy or Jason, if he didn't want to die. That is, if he wasn't to die here.

"I mean, I'm Nico di Angelo. I'm just like you," he replied. Her eyebrow went higher, and in danger of disappearing beneath her bangs. She was quiet for a moment, obviously considering what he said and weighing her choices (should she kill him or not? He hoped with all his heart she'd choose the latter).

Finally, she spoke, "And what do you mean by that?"

"What do you mean? I'm Nico. I was given that name when I was born," he answered. Her glare just got more intense, and she snarled, "I was talking about the 'I'm just like you' part!"

"Oh." He obviously wasn't thinking right anymore. "What I meant is I'm a demigod. Like you."

She looked straight into his eyes, as if trying to see if he was telling the truth or not. This unnerved him, not because she was looking at him like that (hey, if a hot girl was looking at you, you tend to think about the small trivial things about your appearance), but because she never showed a hint of surprise when he said the word 'demigod'. It was either she was a good actress, or she already knew about the existence of demigods. He was partial to the latter part, because he knew nobody's that good an actress.

Her next question surprised him more. With the same expression as before, she asked, "Greek or Roman?"

"How did you-" he started, but with the look she gave him, he decided to just answer, and ask after. "Greek. I'm a son of Hades."

A look of relief spread on her face, but it was only for a second. Her eyes wandered to the black sword on the ground, and then back at him. Still not lowering her weapon, she continued her interrogation. "And what brings you here?"

"Didn't I say, I was chasing those monsters?" he replied, irritation creeping in his tone. He was tired of being interrogated. He wanted to be the one asking, and now he had the chance. "How come you aren't surprised to be a demigod? Why did you look relieved when I said I am a Greek demigod?"

Her back was already facing him when he asked, and she didn't look back as she answered coolly, "I don't think you need to know about that."

That totally struck his nerve. With one fluid motion, he got his sword from the ground, and disarmed her as she once again faced him. Now it was his sword pointed at her chest. "I think I do need to know. Judging from the way you fought those monsters, you've had training. But I don't think I've seen you in either Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter."

"I never went to any camp," she replied, as she glanced at how far her sword was. It lay near his feet. Annoyance replaced the cool look on her face. "I left home and wandered. That's all you need to know."

He didn't try to hide the surprise on his features. But that didn't stop him from talking. He swiftly got her sword, and then lowered his. "If that is the case, then you better come with me. It's dangerous for demigods to be by themselves out here."

"No way," she replied, in a very strong voice it almost made him take a step back. "I can live by myself. Don't ever bother me anymore."

Without even trying to take back her sword, she turned away again and walked a few steps. Then she bent and recovered a backpack, which she slung on her shoulder. She continued walking.

Nico, stunned, was unable to say anything until she was a few meters into the woods. He then regained his senses, ran after her, and called, "Hey! Hey you girl! Wait!"

He skidded to a stop when she turned to him, an angry look across her face. She tried to grab her sword, but he held it high above his head. He surely loved his height now. He continued, not giving her a chance to speak, "Look, you really just can't go around wandering. You need to-"

Then she interrupted him. "How dare you…How dare you call me 'girl'! I am not just any girl, I have a name!"

He stepped back, shocked. So this was why she stopped? He quite liked the fact that he was able to get her attention easily like that, though he knew it might be the last thing he might say. He smirked, and replied, "Well, you did say I don't need to know anything aside from what you've said. How am I to call you if I don't know your name?"

Her face was red by then, but he could tell it wasn't because of embarrassment. "I never meant to tell you my name, anyway, because you don't have the need to call me anymore, since I am not coming with you!"

"Then I'll continue calling you that way, until you give up and come with me! Or better yet, I'll force you to come with me!" He knew it was childish, but he needed time to think on a plan to make her come with him.

"And you think I won't give a fight?" The look of anger changed into a look full of confidence. "I don't think you'd be able to defeat me."

He gritted his teeth. Didn't this girl know that fighting with a son of the Big Three is a no-no? Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind, though he didn't like it. But he had no other choice.

"And you think I'll give you time to fight? Mrs. O'Leary!" He said. His reply got her off tracked. Then she saw the huge hellhound, and her eyes widened in shock. In that moment of surprise he saw his chance. He quickly grabbed her wrist, and before she could say anything, pushed her to sit on the back of Mrs. O'Leary, and said, "Good girl, Mrs. O'Leary. Bring us to Camp Half-Blood now."

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**This is my first fanfic for this book, so please do review! I greatly need your comments, suggestions, opinions.**

**Thanks! :)**


	2. Annabeth

**Annabeth**

Annabeth couldn't help but worry.

It had been a week since Nico went to look for the four monsters. It wasn't a quest, and that was one of the reasons Annabeth and the rest were against it. The other was that he wanted to go alone. Percy tried so hard to convince him not to go, but it was no use.

She was pacing back and forth, and she could feel her boyfriend's eyes following her. They were at the edge of the forest, despite it being dark, as it was dusk. He was seated under the tree, with the same look of concern she had on her face.

"He's seventeen, Annabeth," Percy finally said, breaking the tense silence. She stopped and faced him. He continued, "He can take care of himself. And besides, we've also done dangerous quests, even before we were seventeen. It's normal."

"We weren't alone, Seaweed Brain," She snapped, as she continued pacing. "We all have somebody to cover our backs every time. Nico is alone. And the monsters he's chasing down aren't exactly easy to defeat."

She glanced at him, and she felt bad. She should have heard the uncertainty his voice held, because then she wouldn't have said all those words that made him look guilty. After all, Percy treated Nico as his younger brother, and he was protective of him too. She sighed, sat beside him, and took his hand.

Then suddenly, they heard a rustle from behind them. Both stood up quickly, and pointed their weapons at the bushes.

"Woof!"

"Mrs. O'Leary!" the couple exclaimed as the hellhound appeared from the bushes and jumped straight to Percy, instantly flattening him to the ground. As he tried to get up and calm down his pet, Annabeth heard something else. Without waiting for Percy, she made her way through the plants.

What she saw was something she was expecting, at the same time not.

"Nico?"

There he was, their cousin, lying on his back, with a pained look on his face as he clutched his right arm. His black sword was lying a few feet away from him. Worry and panic immediately enclosed her heart like a fist.

Then before she could make another step, she felt the tip of a sword against her chin. Surprise replaced the worry and panic in her heart, but it didn't show in her face. She held her breath for a moment, and then slowly released it, as she carefully tilted her head slightly to her left.

Her gray eyes met with blue ones, the same shade as Luke's.

There was a clang, snapping Annabeth out of her shock, and the sword went skittering away from her. Another sword came to view -Riptide, she realized- and it was pointed to the stranger's chest. She took a few steps back to regain her composure, and glanced at Percy, who looked angry. Her eyes then traveled to the stranger, whom she had a clear view now.

The face that held those blue eyes were of a beautiful girl's. Her fair complexion contrasted with her black hair, which fell in soft waves down to her waist. She was wearing a black jacket, which was zipped up midway, a white shirt underneath, jeans, and boots.

She was scowling (which didn't make her look ugly), but not at Percy or Annabeth. She was looking at Nico's direction.

"_Nico,"_ Annabeth thought, and she mentally slapped herself for forgetting her cousin. She immediately turned to him and ran to his side. "Oh gods, Nico, what happened? You're hurt!"

"This is nothing, I can stand up," he replied through gritted teeth. Despite that, she helped him sit, and eventually, stand. She picked up his sword and handed it to him, then got the stranger's sword. As they faced both Percy and the girl, she noticed Nico's face light up with triumph.

"I told you, I could force you to come here to camp," he said. The girl's scowl deepened, as she retorted, "And I told you, I won't come without a fight."

"Whoa. Things sure are heated here," Percy said, still not moving from his position. Meanwhile, Annabeth asked, "Who is this girl, Nico?"

The son of Hades just shrugged his shoulders, and this irked Annabeth. How could her cousin bring a girl, out of force, to a camp when he didn't even know her? Her boyfriend glanced at her, and she knew that he was able to read her expression, as he said, "Good luck, bro."

"NICO DI ANGELO! Why did you bring a girl without knowing who she is here in camp?"

Nico flinched, and turned to his cousin with fear in his eyes. When he heard a snort, he glared for a second at the girl, and then he slowly spoke up, obviously choosing his words. "It's only her name that I don't know, Annabeth! I'm pretty sure she's a demigod! Hades, who can _attract and defeat_ four monsters by herself?"

Stunned silence met his words. Nico looked triumphant once again, but there was still fear in his eyes as he watched his cousins. Slowly, the couple looked at the girl, who just raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and said, "I'm pretty attractive, so that's normal, isn't it?"

From the corner of her eye, Annabeth saw Nico face palm. She let the comment pass, but Percy didn't. "That, we can see very well."

It was now her turn to raise an eyebrow. Percy saw that, and he immediately knew he was in danger. He kicked Nico at the shins as their cousin was laughing his head off, then coughed and said, "I didn't mean anything by that. I said it sarcastically, for gods' sake, Annabeth!"

She glared at her boyfriend for a few more moments, then went back to the girl. She studied her, not because she was thinking of her boyfriend's comment, but because she was analyzing how the girl could have brought down monsters by herself. She noticed the aura of confidence the girl had around her.

The stranger shifted uncomfortably, and that made Annabeth smile slightly. All of her friends had told her that whenever she stares at someone, it's as if she's taking each piece off to analyze, and it takes away all the confidence they have. Even those who are very confident were of no match. She tried it on Percy once, but it never worked. Probably because he already knew what she was trying to do.

Annabeth let out a sigh. She wanted to know all the explanations of what happened, but she knew Nico wasn't the type to repeat his story again, so it would be better if they went straight to Chiron and the others and hear the story there.

She turned to him, smiled, and said, "Explanations later at the pavilion. It's dinnertime, anyway. And we have a surprise for you."

Her words caught him off guard. His eyes widened, but before he could ask about the surprise, she already looked back at the girl and resumed her position. Finally Annabeth, still giving that look, asked her, "What's your name?"

The girl obviously didn't want to say it, but she didn't have any choice.

"My name is Cassandra."

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**A few ummm...notes.**

**I can't think of what the four monsters are. so yeah, I just refer to them as the four monsters. They're of no importance anyway.**

**Let's have a little game. I want you all to guess who could be Cassandra's godly parent. I'm not posting the third chapter (where the answer could be found), until there are enough guesses. :)**

**So, please review your guesses, comments, suggestions and opinions! I really need them!**


	3. Hazel

**Hazel**

Hazel was playing with her food when she heard her name.

It made the worried look on her face change into relief, then a grin. She didn't turn around, pretending not to have heard him. To make it more realistic, she took a small bite from her pizza, then pushed her plate forward, as if she didn't have any appetite.

"Sis, what are you doing here?" She heard him say. She looked up, and saw her brother a few feet from her, a surprised look evident on his face. She gave him her biggest smile, which he returned hesitantly.

"Nico!" She exclaimed, as she stood up and walked towards him. Now he truly would have it, she decided. As she neared him, she raised her arms, as if asking a hug. When he was closed enough, though, she lowered her left arm.

A resounding slap was heard, and everybody in the pavilion looked at the siblings.

"What was that for?" Nico asked, as he nursed his left cheek, red and slowly swelling. Hazel's expression turned serious, and she finally replied, "For making us all worry for you, you idiot! I don't care what you'll say, that you are used to going somewhere alone. How many times did I tell you, at least bring one person along in your escapades!"

She heard a snigger, which made Nico's embarrassed expression turn into a scowl. She turned around, and was surprised with what she saw. Standing in front of Percy and Annabeth was a beautiful girl. She had beautiful eyes. They were blue, but with flecks of violet. It may be an effect of the fire, Hazel thought.

"I think the correct saying right now is 'Karma is a bitch'," the girl said, a smirk on her face. Nico just rolled his eyes, and replied, "Then, I must say you are Karma."

"Who is she?" Hazel said, interrupting their not-so-good conversation. Then she heard Chiron say, "Indeed, who is this lovely lady, Nico, Percy, Annabeth?"

The girl smiled at Nico, a smile that is so sweet it implied something was up. Then she turned to Hazel, and said in a sweet voice dripping with sarcasm, "Oh, I'm just a girl who your sweet but uncaring brother kidnapped, I mean, brought here to this camp by force."

"Nico di Angelo…" was all Hazel could say before she was cut off by her brother. "Look, how about letting me explain everything, instead of just listening to her? It's as if she's got you all in a spell to turn against me."

The girl stuck her tongue out at Nico, who glared back at her. Meanwhile, what he said struck something in Hazel. She looked at the Aphrodite table, and saw Piper's suspicious look too. Their eyes met, and in an instant they knew what the other was thinking. But they didn't say anything. They just listened to Nico's story, from when he found her, and all the other things he gleaned from what she said.

When he was finished, stunned silence spread across the pavilion, but it only lasted for a few moments. Then the whole place burst into talking, that one couldn't even hear the words clearly anymore. Hazel rolled her eyes thinking that this would be a long night. She glanced at Mr. D, and saw that, as usual, he was not caring at all about what was happening. So she looked at Chiron, who seemed to be studying the girl, but not showing any sign of telling them to keep quiet. Her gaze then fell on Percy, who was standing there, uncomfortable with all the noise, and looking at his girlfriend. Meanwhile, beside him, Annabeth looked unfazed with the pandemonium, as her expression was analyzing.

She looked at the girl, and was surprised by the air of confidence and indifference around her. The girl was looking at the fire, as if trying to figure out something, probably on how to escape.

Hazel turned to her last hope, and sighed with relief. If there was one thing she truly loved about Piper, it was her talent at understanding expressions. The daughter of Aphrodite took a deep breath, and then used her charmspeak, another talent Hazel loved, as long as it wasn't used on her.

"Everyone, stop talking," Piper said calmly, as if she was not issuing a command. All the demigods immediately shut their mouths, but they all were staring at the stranger. Hazel sighed once again, and before anybody opened their mouth, she asked her brother, "How can you say that it was her who attracted the monsters?"

Nico rolled his eyes, as if the answer was so obvious. It took all her control not to smack him again. "The monsters were together, and that's one thing, as monsters of different kinds don't group together when they aren't hunting for demigods. Then there were also a couple of times when I saw a footprint along the trail those beasts made."

"I knew I should have not left any trail," the girl muttered. It was her that Hazel then started questioning. "So, what's your name?"

"As I've told these three here, my name's Cassandra. Not Sandra, not Cassie. Cassandra. If you don't like long names, then better not bother me."

"Well, I like long names, so let's go hang out!"

Hazel couldn't help but roll her eyes at the antics of a certain son of Hephaestus. She looked at Leo and gave him a smile that pretty much said that she wanted to strangle him then and there. From his reaction, she realized it wasn't just her who gave him that look.

"I don't think so, curly-haired person," Cassandra replied, an eyebrow raised at him. She continued, "After all, I'm not staying."

"Why are you so intent on not staying at Camp Half-Blood? This is the safest place for us demigods," Annabeth finally spoke, her tone hard and cold. "From Nico's story it is obvious that you have an idea of our world. Don't you even want to know who your godly parent is?"

Before she could answer, Percy said, "Wait, you're like, sixteen or seventeen now, right? How old were you when you left your home?"

"Seventeen, and I left when I was twelve," she replied. She turned to Annabeth and answered her question. "Nope, I don't need to anyway."

"Is that because you feel abandoned? Why you ran away from home?" Piper then asked. Cassandra looked at her with an amused expression, which irked Hazel. This girl sure did not know the word humility and respect. If this would continue, Hazel did not know if she could stop herself from strangling her.

Fortunately Chiron stepped in, saying, "No, that is not the case, Piper. Cassandra was already claimed."

"WHAT?"

Their teacher sighed, while Cassandra had a smug expression. "You heard me very well." Then he turned to her, and said, "I remember you now, child. But Annabeth is right, you must stay. This is for your safety."

That removed her smug look. She looked incredulous, as she said, "For five years, I was able to take care of myself. I don't need to stay here! I _can't _stay here, Chiron! You know that very well!"

"But child-" She didn't let him finish, as she turned to Mr. D. She cried out, "Mr. D! You would not want another brat in this camp, right? I was only brought here by force!"

All of the campers' jaws dropped. Hazel's was no exception.

"H-How did you…" she heard her brother say. She wanted to ask the same question, but since Cassandra only had her attention on the god, she knew it would be ignored.

The god looked at the girl with eyebrows raised. Then he said, "As much as I would like you not to stay, I can't. You did make a deal with your mother, and you swore by the river Styx. And I did swear by the same river not to let you go when you come back, willingly or forced."

"Come back? Can somebody tell us what you guys are talking about?" Annabeth exclaimed, anger on her face and voice. "Who is her mother? When was she claimed?"

The centaur sighed again. Cassandra just looked as if she was crushed. She was paler than when they first saw her, Hazel noticed. As if all the blood in her was drained.

"Her mother is-" their mentor started, but she cut him off. Glaring at Annabeth, she replied, "My mother is Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty, Lady of the doves. You didn't see that coming, didn't you?"

"What?" the Aphrodite cabin exclaimed. Hazel knew what they, all aside from Piper, were thinking. But for her, it did made sense. "That explains your eyes."

"The only thing I got from my dear mother, aside from the beauty, and another thing. All the rest is pretty much me."

Nobody moved or said anything. All of them were just staring at Cassandra, whose breathing, Hazel noted, was shallow and fast. A look of pain flashed across her face, but she didn't move. Then, finally, she turned to Annabeth, and in one quick motion, got the sword the child of Athena was holding.

"I don't care about that anymore. I'm going!" with that, she walked away. Everybody was still too stunned that they weren't able to stop her, until Piper stood up and grabbed her jacket from the back. "You can't go!"

Cassandra twisted, and in a moment, she was out of the jacket. But she didn't see the rock, so when she took a step, she stumbled. Fortunately, Piper was able to catch her. But when she accidentally touched Cassandra's right oblique, the girl cried out in pain.

Realization dawned on Hazel fast. Now she knew why the girl looked abnormally pale.

There was a deep wound at her side. The blood contrasted so much with her white shirt, that even with only the firelight, Hazel could see how much of it had spread. With the black jacket, it would have not been obvious. She didn't know how the girl was able to endure all that pain without showing it.

She felt Nico leave her side and rush towards the two girls. Piper laid Cassandra down the ground as gently as she could, as the girl finally fainted from blood loss. She heard Annabeth shout for a medic. Chiron trotted over, and gave orders to the guy from Apollo cabin. Then Nico gently carried her, and they- Piper, Chiron, the medic, and Annabeth- walked towards the Big House.

Hazel looked at Percy, and saw the worry etched on his face. She really had to give it to this guy, who could worry for a person who he barely knew. She sighed, and followed the others.

This was really going to be a long night.


	4. Cassandra

**Cassandra**

Cassandra was in a great circular room.

She didn't know where that room was. There was nobody in there aside from her. There were no doors or windows. All there was were white walls with swirls of different shades of blue and violet painted on them. There was a great glass chandelier that lit up the room. There was no furniture, so the place seemed almost empty. Almost, because in the middle, beneath the chandelier, was a grand piano.

Confused and curious, she walked towards the instrument. It was made of glass, with blue sapphires and amethysts embedded on it, creating swirling designs. It was the most beautiful piano she'd ever seen. She let her fingers slide along its edge, and when they reached the keys, she pressed down. The sound echoed across the room.

"Beautiful, isn't it? Like you," a female voice said. Cassandra jumped, and her hand pressed down several of the keys, creating a rather unpleasing sound. She turned around and saw a lady, young and beautiful, with red curly hair and fair skin.

The lady was smiling warmly at her, but Cassandra tensed. She took a step back, wanting to get as far from the woman as possible. She knew the woman. And she knew that in just a matter of time, that smile on her face would turn into a gruesome look of terror and madness.

She turned around, about to run, but she froze when she saw not the white walls, but trees. She turned again and realized she was in a forest clearing. The lady was still with her, but the look on her face had change. She looked at Cassandra with crazed eyes, as she said, "Of death and love, child. Remember, of death and love."

Cassandra's heart beat faster. Her breathing became shallow. Then she noticed that the lady wasn't looking at her anymore, she was looking at the ground past Cassandra. The child of Aphrodite followed her gaze, and a scream tore through her throat.

A guy's body was on the ground.

She ran and dropped to her knees beside him. She felt for his pulse, and found it, slow and barely there. Panic consumed her. She could not let him die. No, she could not lose him. He was too important to her.

She raised the upper part of his body, resting it on her lap, as she cradled his head. "No, you can't leave me. Please don't leave me," she cried.

Cassandra opened her eyes.

She slowly sat up, feeling her chest heave heavily. A drop of sweat slowly made its way down the side of her face, and she wiped it away. The dream had been so real, so much that she was having a difficult time realizing that she was already back to reality.

Her hair stuck uncomfortably to her face and neck, so she pulled it back. As she did so, she saw movement from her peripheral vision. She turned her head, and cursed in Ancient Greek.

In the room was none other than the son of Hades. He was casually leaning at the wall, his hands inside the pockets of his jeans. His eyes were on her, as if analyzing her, but there was also concern in those dark orbs.

"Nightmare?" he asked in a gentle voice, as if trying to comfort her. She gritted her teeth, and replied, "Nope, just a bad dream. _You're_ the nightmare."

She smirked when she saw the look of annoyance that replaced that of concern on his face. Then she looked down to see the wound, or rather what was left of it, she had been enduring the night before. What she saw was not her blood soaked shirt, but the orange camp shirt.

"What the- Why is my shirt orange?" She asked angrily. Nico rolled his eyes and answered, "Do you expect us to leave you in that shirt full of blood? Of course Piper and Annabeth changed your dirty clothes into clean ones."

She glared at him, and said, "I get the point of changing my clothes, but why exactly this orange camp shirt? I believe I had my backpack with me when I came here yesterday. _My_ clothes are there."

He sighed exasperatedly, and then said, "Look, what happened yesterday…it's for the best. You must stay in camp."

The way he said it made her go back to her dream. It made her control on her temper break. She wanted to strangle him right then and there. But she couldn't. Her body was still weak from having almost all her blood drained from her.

So she took out all her anger by shouting.

"It's not for the best! It can never be! It will never be!"

Instead of getting angry at her, like he was the night before, he didn't. He just looked apologetically at her. It fueled her anger. Just as the door opened and revealed a guy with black hair and sea-green eyes, she threw her pillow at Nico and screamed, "I hate you!"

"Whoa, guys. It's early in the morning, you guys should not be fighting," the new guy said, as he stationed himself between them. He received a full glare from her, but he didn't flinch or looked uncomfortable about it. He just went towards the bedside table. On it was a glass with a straw. He got it, and handed it to her, saying, "Here, drink this. It will make you feel better."

"Only physically," Cassandra added, but she took the glass anyway. She needed the nectar to replenish her energy, because she needed to strangle a certain someone. As she took a sip, she tasted melted chocolate mousse.

"What does it taste like?" The guy said, curiosity all over his face. She raised an eyebrow at him, and said, "Why do you care about what nectar tastes like for me?"

He opened his mouth in shock, then he scratched his head. "Geez, I forgot you know a lot already. Anyways, how are you feeling?"

Cassandra rolled her eyes, as she replied, "As if I could kill a certain someone just by strangling him."

The green-eyed guy laughed, while Nico looked pissed off. He offered his right hand, and said, "You're so different from your siblings, even from Piper, and she's the most different. I'm Percy Jackson, by the way, son of Poseidon."

She took his hand and shook it, saying, "I hope you're not like your cousin here."

It made him laugh again. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I think I am. I do believe that some of my, ah, irritating characteristics have rubbed off on him. And if I was in his shoes last night…Well, I would have done the same."

She didn't say a word, but instead, studied him. She could feel that aura of power and leadership in him, and also the warmth and protectiveness. It felt as if he was really welcoming her with open arms, when in fact just the night before he had his sword pointed against her.

As if reading her thoughts, he said, "About last night…Believe me if I say I didn't mean to point a sword on you. It's just that…You did point your sword against Annabeth, and you had disarmed Nico."

"Protective, aren't you?" Cassandra said. She didn't even hold back the tone of sadness in her voice. She knew they heard it, as the two guys exchanged glances. Then Percy turned back to her and said, "Piper asked me to check in on you, and, if you're feeling better, take you to the arena. Is that okay with you?"

"Piper…You're not talking about Piper Mclean, aren't you?"

They raised their eyebrows at her. Once again, she rolled her eyes. "Okay, I get it. She's my half-sister. If you two are already finished being astonished on how much I know, maybe we can go?"

She sighed, knowing very well that everything was not getting better.

And that they would, in a few hours' time, get worse.

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**Merry Christmas everyone!**

**As a gift, please do review, favorite, and follow! Thanks! :D**


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